Desolate
by theramenfreak
Summary: Belated request for xXxShiniXKazexXx   20YL Lambo oneshot   "Okay, Tsuna. Let's change the future."


Lambo wanted to cry. He wanted to cry more than he had ever wanted to before. Lambo craved the warmth of his previous home and Family. He wished he could curl up into a ball and let his tears wash away the nightmare like scenes that ran through his mind like poison, however one thing stopped him. He had no home to return to, now.

The sheer amount of blood burned into his memory was terrifying and he trembled when he remembered the source. It was etched onto the walls of his mind. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the broken figures of his friends and Family. Every time he heard their names he flinched and he felt the overwhelming feeling of being lost among what little Family he had left.

Six months ago, only a day after discovering the last of his Family brutally murdered, Lambo had done the only thing he had ever been good at – he had run. He'd run from the terrifying past that had threatened to swell forward from his pained tears and envelop him in madness. He'd cast off all connections to the Mafia and fled to a life abroad in Europe. Currently, he was living in a run down apartment just outside of Paris.

Lambo was scared to step foot inside the beautiful city. He was terrified that the moment he felt the soil of Paris under his feet, he would see the memories creep back into his head. The time he had traveled to Paris with Tsuna to negotiate with a rising rival Famiglia and the two ended up fighting their way out of a skyscraper, was lurking just under his conscious thoughts. The time he had brought I-Pin to the city of love under the impression he could somehow find the courage to confess to her while surrounded by such a cheesy setting, too. He had been thoroughly surprised when she had admitted that her feelings ran deeper for him, first. The kiss they had shared atop the Eifel Tower had been more explosive than any firework display that may have been showing at the time.

Lambo clenched his eyes shut and took a shaky breath as his fist tightened on the bottle of wine he was clutching. He brought the alcohol back to his lips and took a deep swig, welcoming the fake warmth that began heating his stomach. He shoved the nostalgic memories back down under the hazy mess of confused thoughts and stumbled forward on his route. His body unconsciously relaxed as he walked and he ignored the judgmental looks that passersby shot at him. They acted like he was the first practically-homeless man they had seen drinking on the street. Lambo shook his head and pulled his coat sleeves further down in order to cover his exposed fingers.

He noticed his apartment creeping up in his vision and he sighed in satisfaction. Finally, he would be able to collapse and sleep for a while on something that resembled a mattress. He was only a few steps away from the front door when his vision was obscured by a haze of bright smoke. He coughed and held his breath, expecting poison or sleeping gas.

Immediately, he fell into a fighting stance, ready to deliver hell to whoever dared oppose a former Mafia member. When the smog had cleared enough for him to make out four figures, he darted towards the closest and landed a solid punch on the attackers face. He whirled when he felt a presence approach him from behind and sent a kick into their stomach, still holding his breath. Lambo felt his face turning a rosy shade of red just as the first figure was struggling back to their feet with the help of a grumbling man.

Lambo froze when the mist dispersed even more. He had caught a glance of silver hair and that voice…he remembered that voice. From something like a nightmare. A _happy_ nightmare. Maybe he had imagined it? Surely he hadn't drunken that much…While he was still motionless he felt two people grab both of his still-raised arms and cling to his fists in desperation.

"_Lambo_!"

The man stiffened. There was no way he had imagined _that_ voice. Even his memory wasn't that flawless.

"Lambo, calm down! It's us!"

Lambo stared in shock. His gut feeling had been right, but there was no way…He couldn't really be seeing them after so long. The short brunette smiled tentatively and waved a hand in front of Lambo's staring eyes while clutching his aching nose with the other. Gokudera stood on his right, his hand lingering on Tsuna's elbow, in case Lambo attacked him again. Lambo didn't turn his head but he knew the aura's given off by his two restrainers well enough to be certain that he would see Yamamoto and Ryohei if he did glance back.

"Hey, future-Lambo? Are you alright?" Lambo's head snapped back to his former-boss when he heard his voice and he felt tears begging to fall. Tsuna noticed and stepped forward worriedly, ignoring the warning growl from Gokudera.

"T-Tsuna…" Lambo breathed, scared that if he spoke too loud, the four guardians might disappear in a poof of bright smoke, just like he had. He closed his eyes and counted to ten slowly, convinced it was a dream. When he opened his eyes, however, Tsuna was still there, albeit looking at him with even more concern for his sanity.

'_With good reason,_' he thought bitterly, and then shook his head to clear the negative thoughts.

"Future-Lambo? Are you-"

"I-I…was hit with the 10 year bazooka, wasn't I?" He asked sadly, willing his voice not to crack in anguish. How often had he prayed for a miracle like this? And now that it had been miraculously granted, he wasn't sure what to do. Should he tell them why he was currently dressed like a vagrant and clutching a bottle of wine as he trembled in front of them like the coward he pretended not to be. If he warned them, would the past be screwed around with? Maybe they could have a chance to live! Maybe if he warned them now, he could return and see them welcoming him with open arms…in _his own_ time.

Lambo opened his mouth to continue his explanation of what was yet to happen when Tsuna interrupted him, "Lambo. What happened? Why are you so sad?"

The brunettes eyes were wide, and curious, lit with a concerned warmth. The man automatically felt the need to put his arms around his boss and comfort him. He wanted to tell Tsuna that everything was fine and he was just crying about some silly prank that Gokudera had pulled on him earlier. He didn't want him worrying about the future. Lambo felt the words lodge in his throat and he choked slightly on air. This was the Tsuna he wanted to remember. Not the pale, lifeless corpse stretched out on the metal gurney. He swallowed thickly and ducked his head. Even though he was now a year older than his fellow guardians, he still felt nervous in their presence.

"I-it's nothing, boss," he replied quietly, resenting the quaver in his voice.

"Che. Don't lie to the Tenth, stupid cow," Gokudera suggested coldly.

Yamamoto and Ryohei had released his arms and circled around to stand next to Tsuna and Gokudera. Yamamoto's face was laced with concern and Ryohei's expression was unsurprisingly confused.

"You can tell us anything, Lambo," Yamamoto hedged softly. Lambo looked up at the swordsman with a pained face. All four guardian's eyes tightened at the sight and Tsuna reached forward to grasp his shoulder in a comforting gesture. Before Lambo realized what had happened, he was holding his boss firmly in to his chest. Even though he had grown, it seemed that Tsuna was destined to be shorter than all of his guardians. He felt Tsuna's breath against his chest and heard his steady heartbeat confirming the impossible – Tsuna, Lambo's metaphorical brother, was still alive and well. Despite his efforts, Lambo felt a tear leak from the corner of his eye. It was ridiculous, he thought bitterly, a twenty-five year old man crying and desperately clinging to his boss in the hopes that the moment would never end. He squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his arms around Tsuna's thin shoulders as more tears began flowing steadily down his cheeks, despite his efforts.

"Y-you're all…you…" Lambo attempted to explain against Tsuna's shoulder, but the brunette just 'shushed' him softly and rocked slightly back and forth. When his tears began finally subsiding, Lambo pulled back his head. He first noticed that the other three guardians had left the room and that Tsuna was gazing down at him with concerned eyes.

"Are you okay now, Lambo?" Tsuna asked quietly.

Lambo waited for a minute before nodding uncertainly. He felt slight slightly better. The hug that Tsuna had been so quick to give seemed to have wiped away so many terrible memories. If Lambo focused on the alive, air-breathing Tsuna that still had warm arms to comfort him with, he might even be able to convince himself that returning to the future may not be so hard. With great reluctance, Lambo let his arms fall back to his sides and Tsuna did the same, before gently guiding him towards the empty sitting area in his office. Lambo briefly wondered why his past self had been in Tsuna's office in the first place, with three other guardians that didn't look to pleased to be there. He had probably gotten in trouble again.

Lambo was dimly aware of Tsuna pouring two generously sized glass of liquor. He took it gratefully from the brunette and once more, felt the deceptive heat warm his trembling body.

"I figured you're old enough to drink now and by the look of it, you might appreciate some spirits," Tsuna answered the unvoiced question. Lambo just nodded and let his head tilt back onto the sofa's headrest. There was a comfortable silence for a few moments, but Lambo knew that Tsuna was itching to know more. Finally, the young Don could contain his curiosity no longer.

"D-do you want to talk about-"

"No," Lambo answered truthfully, feeling a pang of guilt when Tsuna's face fell back into a grimace, "but I suppose you have a right to know"

Lambo began to explain what had happened six months ago and with every word he said, Tsuna's expression began growing darker and darker and the level of alcohol in his glass declined even quicker. Finally, when Lambo took a large swig of his Tequlia, Tsuna cursed softly. Lambo was taken aback slightly – he was surprised that Tsuna knew such words then he mentally slapped himself. Of course he did, he was a Mafia boss living on the wrong side of the law. As if he wouldn't encounter a filthy mouth or two in his dealings.

"The bastards," He growled, letting loose another few cusses before catching himself. He paused and looked up at Lambo's miserable face. They still only had minutes before the bazooka wore off and there was so much more that Lambo wanted to say.

"I know who it was, Lambo," Tsuna explained, "and you're not going to like it"

Lambo's eyes widened in shock. Tsuna had figured that out just from hearing his story? The Tenth's intuition was surely a force to be reckoned with.

"W-who?," he choked out, determined to get revenge on the bastards who had dared to slaughter his Famiglia. Even though they were powerful enough to take down the former leaders of Vongola, Lambo felt no sense of hesitation – he had nothing left to live for, anyway.

Tsuna sighed and avoided Lambo's eyes when he responded. He spoke so quietly that Lambo had first thought he had misheard but the chilling feeling of uncertainty stole over him at Tsuna's reply, "Bovino"

Lambo choked slightly and set his empty glass down on the low table in front of him.

"H-how…"

"I just got off the phone with your former boss. It's actually very ironic that you arrived when you did. Hayato, Takeshi and Big Bro were just consulting your options when you got agitated and ended up using the bazooka once you were overwhelmed with responsibility," Tsuna explained with the barest hint of resentment in his eyes. Lambo hoped that the negative feeling wasn't directed at him, but he couldn't be sure.

"Responsibly? Options?" Lambo asked uncertainly.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed, taking another sip of his drink, "You've earned quite a name for yourself in the underworld and gained enough reputation for Bovino to want you back. They believe that with you back in their ranks – they would have an informant situated in the thick of Vongola. Of course their boss never told me that much, but I can tell. He was starting to get a little irate with me on the phone when I told him it was your choice. Apparently thinly veiled threats to my life are not below even an allied Family's boss," Then he quietly let out a short, humorless laugh, "then again, I suppose it wasn't just a threat."

Lambo stared at Tsuna in shock. He had said that so calmly! Tsuna had accepted that fact that he was going to be betrayed by one of his closest allies and he even felt so comfortable with it that he had made a joke. Lambo shook his head in disbelief at his boss's words. He didn't quite remember this Tsuna. The one that saw his own mortality as an ironic inconvenience.

"Tsuna…" Lambo's head was spinning. Maybe he hadn't gone back to his own universe? Maybe he'd swapped dimensions as well? The way his 'big brother' acted was beginning to frighten-

"I'm sorry, Lambo. I'm scaring you, aren't I?" Tsuna asked, as though reading the man's thoughts.

Lambo just nodded in response and Tsuna smiled sadly as he poured himself another glass of tequila.

"Well, I'm not sure what's happened between now and your future, but I'm about 98% sure that it was Bovino. Betrayal is the most likely assassination attempt to succeed. Since Bovino would be considered trusted allies it'd be quite easy for them to act before we knew what had hit us. Plus if what I'm assuming is correct, you're the only guardian left alive. You've been considering returning to them, too, I suppose. That seems like the kind of plan Bovino would think up. Maybe I should tighten security a little…" Tsuna trailed off with a mutter, a thoughtful expression stealing over his face. Lambo felt a leap of hope in the back of his throat. Maybe Tsuna would be able to change the future after all?

"Tsuna, I…"

Tsuna paused his quite trail of thought that he had been mumbling to himself and glanced up at Lambo in askance.

"I miss you all," Lambo finished softly, feeling tears spring to his eyes. Tsuna nodded in sympathy and then sat his drink down on the table.

"Come here, Lambo," he asked softly. When Lambo leaned forward, Tsuna wrapped his arms around the quivering man again. Lambo simply bowed his head over his boss' shoulder and let his tears run freely down his face. They stayed like that until yet another puff of bright smoke engulfed the older man.

When Tsuna glanced down, he smiled reassuringly at the present Lambo – who was also crying silently. The boy didn't glance up, but he hugged Tsuna back, around his waist. He pressed his face into the young Vongola's shirt and began sobbing openly. He couldn't forget the things he had found his future apartment.

There had been the unmistakable smell of alcohol which had almost overwhelmed him at first, but Lambo had soon learned to deal with the burning feeling in the back of his throat. Then he'd noticed the stack of papers on his filthy kitchen bench. He wouldn't have paid them much attention at first, however a few words had jumped out at him.

The main ones being 'Homicide Investigation Report', a list of his fellow guardians and then the detailed description of the bodies states. He had begun shaking after reading a brief summary of the condition Ryohei had been found in and felt the urge to vomit after continuing on to Gokudera and then Yamamoto's file. Finally, he had let the paper slip from his numb fingers after finishing the report on the discovery of Tsuna.

Now, Lambo buried his eyes against Tsuna's chest, willing that future to be nothing more than a bad dream. The feel of Tsuna gently stroking his hair as he sobbed practically proved that it was false, however the pictures that had been supplied…he shivered and clenched his fists in the material of Tsuna's shirt.

"It's alright, Lambo. Shh, shh, it's okay now…"

Lambo sniffed and looked up with an expression that tore at Tsuna's heart.

"Tsuna, in the future, I-"

"I know, Lambo, I know. It's over, though. We're going to fix things, alright? We're going to change the future…"

The teen's eyes widened at the firm tone and he stared at Tsuna with a mixture of surprise and a disbelievingly hopeful light dancing under the surface of his gaze. Lambo felt a small sliver of optimism worm its way into his mind. He unconsciously repressed it, not willing to raise his expectations, only to have them crushed if he ever visited the future again and saw the damn reports. Then, when Tsuna smiled warmly down at him, Lambo mentally slapped himself.

What the hell was he thinking? Of course he wouldn't be let down. Of course the future could be changed. They had years. Ten years to be exact, and in that amount of time Vongola – and its Boss – could do anything.

"Okay, Tsuna. Let's change the future."


End file.
